Canada hopes PNP-MILF clash will not affect peace process

MANILA –- The government of Canada has expressed hope that last Sunday’s battle between government forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which left nearly 50 police commandos dead, will not derail the peace process with the former Muslim rebels.

“We hope that despite the gravity and depth of what has happened, we do believe in the peace process. We hope that this won’t derail that process and allow it to go forward,” Ambassador Neil Reeder told reporters Tuesday.

The encounter occurred after members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, who were sent to the MILF-controlled Mamasapano town, reportedly failed to notify Muslim guerillas of their presence in the area where they plan to arrest two wanted foreign terrorists.

“It is very sad to see this happen,” Reeder said as he sought more clarification from the government on the incident. “All of us share the grief of the government and the Filipino people on what transpired.”

(The government and the MILF signed a peace pact in March 2014, a landmark accord aimed at ending decades of Muslim rebellion in Southern Philippines.